These Hopeful Paths
by Cattiechaos
Summary: The sequel to Ravenpaw's Secret, this is the story of Ravenwing and Rose's daughter, Hollypaw, as she journeys to foreign lands. Will she manage to rescue Graystripe, as StarClan foretold in the Moonpool?
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: Hi everyone! For those of you who don't know, this is the sequel to "Ravenpaw's Secret". If you have not read that, please do not read "These Hopeful Paths", as the story will not make much sense. So please visit the before mentioned fanfiction first. :) And for all you reviewers, thanks so much! Special thanks to my best friend Huntress for the title, for contributing, and for editing! I know this is a very short chapter, but what can you expect? It is a prologue, after all :) I am almost finished with the first chapter, so I will update soon. Please review this short chapter and accept my apologies!_

Prologue

A beautiful silver she-cat sat in the center of a clearing, her pelt sparkling with the stars of the night. She was a StarClan cat, and she was peered anxiously into the Moonpool, her blue eyes hopeful. She peered through the dark water for only a few moments before a new voice interrupted her.

"Silverstream?"

Silverstream jumped and whirled around, her heart thumping wildly. When she saw who it was, she let out a sigh of relief. Familiar black pelt and emerald eyes—it was her mate's best friend, Ravenwing.

"Hello Ravenwing," she purred quietly, her blue eyes warm and hopeful for the first time in many moons.

Ravenwing smiled and padded over to the she-cat. "Are you watching Hollypaw through the Moonpool?" he meowed quietly.

Silverstream hesitated, and then nodded. "Yes. So much hope rests in her…"

Ravenwing gave an encouraging smile. "Silverstream, have more faith in Hollypaw," he meowed. "StarClan chose _her _to save Graystripe, so they must think she can do it."

"But StarClan can no longer watch over Graystripe," Silverstream burst out suddenly. "He is too close to the Twolegs, and they are drowning out his scent." The she-cat's voice turned nearly desperate. "Ravenwing, he's so close to me, yet so far away!" she trailed off uncertainly. "I couldn't bear it if she failed," the silver she-cat finished miserably.

"But she won't fail."

The silver she-cat gave Ravenwing a grateful smile, and then seemed troubled. After hesitating for a few moments, she meowed: "Ravenwing, do you begrudge me for making Hollypaw go on this journey? After all, she is your daughter, and maybe I should have asked your permission. She's in danger, Ravenwing, and she will be in even more danger when she strays away from StarClan's presence. I'm so sorry, Ravenwing. I wanted to see Graystripe again so badly, I was prepared to risk the safety of his best friend's daughter to get him."

Ravenwing shook his head. "No, you have nothing to be sorry for, Silverstream," he replied. "When StarClan told Hollypaw to seek out these cats, she did it because she wanted to. She didn't even know the gray cat she saw was Graystripe; she just wanted to make something of her life. She's young, after all." His smile faded. "But when StarClan can no longer reach her, I shall fear for her greatly."

Suddenly, a new voice interrupted, and it was strong and confident. The two cats turned around to see a black tom with stormy gray eyes, darker than Rose's. Storm!

"She will be fine," he insisted. There was such a note of finality in his voice—such a definite confidence. Ravenwing and Silverstream were both surprised. Storm continued. "Father, Silverstream, when I was very young, I wanted to do something notable and brave, so StarClan would give me _my_ warrior name. I wanted to achieve something great; and so does my sister. She is determined not to fail, and that determination is steadfast and unwavering." The wisdom the tom spoke was beyond his years, but the stardust that glittered in his stormy gray eyes shone with belief.

Ravenwing greeted his son with an affectionate purr, and he meowed: "I believe Storm is right, Silverstream. Hollypaw will not fail in doing this—and even if she does, we will know that she tried her best. I'm so sorry…I know that you wanted to go yourself and save Graystripe…but even StarClan cannot make this so."

"Then what is the point of StarClan?" Silverstream burst out bitterly, her pale blue eyes misting over with sorrow. But the question wasn't one that needed to be answered. She gazed away in the distance, but finally, she spoke.

"I believe Hollypaw will be able to save Graystripe. We will watch over her until we can do so no longer—and then her life will be in her own paws, wherever they may take her."


	2. The Wanderers

Author's Note: Finally, the first chapter of "These Hopeful Paths" begin! Unfortunately, somewhere while writing the second chapter of this story, my muse sort of let this one go. I want to see how the first chapter goes to my reviewers—and if I get a bad outcome, I'm going to stop x.X But more of that later! Cheerio!

Chapter One: The Wanderers

Wistful yellow eyes peered out of a sturdy iron cage towards the garden beyond, and a gray tomcat's forepaws pressed against the cage wall and let a sigh escape his maw.

Settling back into his cramped den, Graystripe settled down in the far corner and rattled the wall just for the sake of not going insane.

A twoleg pet! That was what he was—but then again, he didn't actually belong to Twolegs, but he still lived in a cramped cage and ate twoleg food that looked like rabbit pellets. With some amusement, he realized that "rabbit pellets" was how he described Twoleg food back when he had met Firestar as a kittypet in the woods. Making a face, he lapped at his water and peered at the cages beyond, searching for a familiar face.

"Soccer, what's the news?" he called anxiously.

Soccer, a black-and-white kittypet from the cage directly across, poked his head against the wires and meowed: "Piper escaped with the help of one of her friends!"

Graystripe let out a sigh and meowed: "She's lucky she has someone to come and rescue her. No one will rescue me." 'Not even StarClan!' he added to himself.

He thought dimly of the life he had left behind—his best friend Firestar, and ThunderClan. His mate and hid kits—his entire life was gone, and it was because of the Twolegs and their traps. He thought that surely StarClan hadn't forsaken him, but he hadn't gotten a single sign that his warrior ancestors were watching over him. Not a dream, or a word of comfort and reassurance. He thought that maybe Silverstream or Feathertail would try to have contacted him through some secret method—but there was nothing.

Soccer let out a comforting mew. "Don't worry, Graystripe," he chirped happily in his cheerful voice. "When I escape from here, I'll bring you with me!"

The gray tom smiled, grateful that he at least had a sympathizer. "Thanks, Soccer," he meowed. But he did not think that moment would come anytime soon.

'StarClan, where are you?'

xxx

The air was crisp and cold for a leafbare day, and Hollypaw was forced to go at a brisk trot to avoid freezing. Her breath fogged up the air, but her emerald eyes were bright and her pace was lively.

She only wished she had more direction from StarClan—now that she was truly away from the WindClan moors and in a foreign territory, she realized that finding three cats out of the entire world might be impossible. She just hoped StarClan would guide her paws towards the silver tabby, the gray tom, and the silver cat with olive eyes that haunted her dreams.

Hollypaw had never seen so many sights before! Twoleg nests, twoleg monsters, and Twolegs swarmed around the area until the she-cat felt quite unnerved. She kept near a Twoleg fence as she let her paws simply wander.

She knew that she was instantly born for traveling—she was content to just gaze out at the wonders in the world, and her paws never grew tired. She enjoyed every moment of it; but it was merely because she was experiencing the good side of the city.

Hollypaw heard yowls in the distance, and she felt her fur rise up with excitement and fear. She had seen no cats since she had first come here, and she was desperately looking for one of the cats she had seen in the Moonpool. Although there was no telling which cat the yowls belonged too, she was eager to find out.

Suddenly, she saw two figures come into view—cats! They were streaking towards her as if their lives depended on it, their paws merely a blurr against the ground. One particular cat was tearing towards her at full speed, and Hollypaw marveled at her swiftness before she realized two things; one, there was a Twoleg with a net chasing them, and the two escaping cats were running directly towards her.

She noticed that one of the cats was a calico, and the other, the faster runner, was a silver tabby with dark black stripes who looked vaguely familiar, though Hollypaw did not know why.

Hollypaw was frozen to the ground—she was scrutinizing the silver tabby she-cat and did not even realize that the Twoleg was gaining ground. The calico cat dashed past her, breathing heavily, eyes wild, but the silver tabby skidded to a halt in front of her.

"No-brain!" she hissed, panting slightly, "Get out of here unless you want to end up a Snatcher Toy!" She gave Hollypaw a ferocious nudge that got her moving, and the she-cat tore off again after her companion. Hollypaw had no choice but to follow if she wished to survive in this foreign place.

As she ran, the brown she-cat marveled over the silver tabby's speed. She moved effortlessly and gracefully, her long legs muscled and her pelt smooth and sleek. Even though Hollypaw's lungs were burning and her legs trembled, she kept trying to place the tabby in her mind. Where had she seen that familiar silver-striped pelt before?

Finally, the calico she-cat skidded into a dark alleyway, and the silver one followed, immediately slowing into a comfortable walk. Her breathing was only slightly labored, and she settled comfortably down on the ground, her tail wrapped around her paws.

Hollypaw and the calico she-cat were a little less dignified. They flung themselves onto the ground, where they lay sprawled and panting for breath. The silver tabby watched with amusement gleaming in her dark sapphire eyes.

_Those eyes!_

Hollypaw instantly knew who the silver tabby was—she had seen her in the Moonpool.

xxx

"Are you all right there?" the calico finally panted, getting to her paws and giving her ruffled fur a lick. Hollypaw also stood up, still trembling from her long and exhilarating run.

She surveyed both cats for a few moments before replying. The calico was pretty, with black, brown, gold, and white markings, and her green eyes were kind and mischievous. But the silver tabby was infinitely more beautiful, with her sleek silver fur and black stripes. Her blue eyes were like chips of ice, but were not unkind eyes.

"Yes," Hollypaw gasped, getting to her paws. "I owe you my life…the both of you. Thank you—how can I ever repay you?"

"That Snatcher would have kept you in captivity if he had caught you. No cat deserves that kind of fate, no matter how cruel they are, for it breaks their spirits. Besides, you don't look unkind, and cats here need to look out for other cats. Aye, 'tis a cruel world." The long speech came from the silver tabby, who spoke with the faintest trace of a lisp that Hollypaw could not place.

"How did you get caught?" Hollypaw meowed curiously. She didn't think that any Twoleg alive could have caught the silver she-cat, who moved as a silver streak in the wind as she ran.

The calico smiled sheepishly. "She didn't, I did," she confessed. "I'm Piper, by the way…I was just sniffing through one of those People houses, because it was so huge and big. It turned out to be a Snatcher Nest, but it was too late. Tramp escaped, though," she added.

"Tramp? Snatcher?" Hollypaw asked, even more muddled by the queer names. Her father had taught her warrior names, and her mother told her about Tribe names, but these names didn't seem to mean anything.

"Snatchers are the People that take cats into captivity and give them to other People," the tabby explained. Then, she grinned. "Tramp is Piper's best friend—they do everything together because they're fearless…or so they claim." A teasing light sprang up into her blue eyes. "I say it's because they're more curious than brave, and it always gets them into a giant muddle of trouble."

"Does not!" Piper protested childishly, and Hollypaw felt an amusement replace her fear.

"Well, I had to come and rescue you, didn't I?" she laughed, and cuffed Piper over the head. "We'll have to go meet up with Oliver and let him know that our tails haven't been hacked off by the Snatcher."

As the calico and the silver cat discussed things under their breath, Hollypaw marveled at how simple all the names were. Piper, Tramp, Oliver…she didn't know what all of them meant, but the simplicity of it all astounded her.

"Excuse me…" Hollypaw interrupted hesitantly. An idea had been gnawing at her ever since she had recognized the silver tabby, but she after she had learned all these other names, she had to ask: "Are there more of you cats, then? Gathered in a group?"

"Of course!" Piper exclaimed in a friendly manner, cuffing Hollypaw over the ear. The strange gesture bewildered Hollypaw, but she tried not to let it show. "We cats really have to stick together in this rough-neck neighborhood," Piper continued, "so we formed a group called the Wanderers! We wander from city to city to see all the sights and meet new cats. Some places are greater than the others." A dreamy look came to Piper's green eyes. "I won't forget the time we went to 'Las Vegas'. A feast!"

The silver she-cat laughed, and Hollypaw wished she would introduce herself, but no luck yet, and she didn't want to be so frank as to ask. She had asked that question because she wondered if there was a silver cat with olive eyes in the group, or a gray cat with yellow eyes.

"Oliver should have been here a while ago," the silver cat meowed rather irritably. "He likes to arrive 'fashionably late.'" Her words were mocking, but she spoke them in such a way that it seemed friendly.

"Ta, darling!" a voice called from behind all three of them. Hollypaw spun around excitedly, and her eyes strained as she tried to make out the pelt colors of the group of cats she saw in her front of her. Five cats!

As they approached, Hollypaw felt a rush of adrenaline as she realized that the head cat, the one who had spoken, was a silvery-white tom with piercing olive eyes that had always been on her mind since she had seen them through the Moonpool. Behind him was a beautiful golden she-cat with white boots and blue eyes that rivaled the beauty of even the tabby she-cat. At the rear was a huge black tom with dark gray specks and the stormiest gray eyes that Hollypaw had ever seen—of course, apart from her brother's eyes. She was saddened for a moment, and then cast her eyes on the two other cats—a white-gray cat with turquoise eyes and a white tom with pale blue eyes. However, she saw no thick-furred gray tom with yellow eyes, and she felt confused for a moment.

"Tramp!" Piper nearly squealed, rushing over to meet the white tom. He gave a laugh and flicked his tail out at her before twining them together and meowing: "The one and only, sweetheart!" He had a soft Australian accent, which puzzled Hollypaw.

"I can't believe you _left me _so you could escape from that Snatcher!" she exclaimed, glaring up at him with her green eyes. Hollypaw nearly laughed out loud when she realized that all the other cats had rolled their eyes, apart from Oliver, who laughed.

"Cute couple," he commented, striding over to the silver she-cat. "And whose your friend here?" he meowed offhandedly, as if he could tell that Hollypaw was no threat.

"A Snatcher almost got her when I was helping Piper escape," she explained, flicking her tail out at Oliver. "Be nice! She's not a bad cat."

Hollypaw felt particularly pleased at her praise.

"Hmm," said Oliver, glancing over at Hollypaw and looking her up and down. She felt herself turn red at his scrutinizing gaze and looked down at her paws, suddenly self-conscious.

"What's your name, poppet?" he asked casually, and the silver she-cat nudged him irritably.

"Oh, stop flirting with her," she meowed irritably.

"I was just curious!" Oliver protested.

"I'm Hollypaw," she interrupted, before a full-fledged battle could break out between the silver cats.

"Oliver's my name, don't wear it out," he meowed casually. "I guess you know Piper already," he meowed, gesturing with his tail towards the calico she-cat who was still arguing quite forcibly with poor Tramp.

"And, as you know, that's Tramp," Oliver continued, whacking the white tom over the head. "Oi! No more fighting in _my _alley!"

Tramp glanced up impatiently, but with humor clear in his eyes. "But I'm your best mate!" he protested.

"Yeah, well," Oliver grumbled. "That's Jewel, and that's Fleur," he continued, this time gesturing with his head towards two she-cats. Jewel was the gray-white she-cat with beautiful turquoise eyes, and Hollypaw suspected that she was shy because she did naught but smile tranquilly and nod her head in acknowledgement. Fleur was the beautiful she-cat whose fur resembled the sun's rays, and her pale blue eyes were bright when she meowed: "It is a pleasure to meet you, Hollypaw." Her voice was also accented, quite strongly, so Hollypaw suspected that these cats were all loners before meeting up together.

"And that's Dakota," Oliver finished, gesturing towards the black tom with the specks. His stormy gray eyes were kind when he glanced up at Hollypaw, and he reminded her very much of her lost brother. He padded up to her and stuck out his paw before meowing: "Hello, Hollypaw." His voice was low and quiet, and the strangest sounding yet. It was an accent that Hollypaw had never heard of before, and the gesture was also one that she had never seen before.

Oliver cuffed Dakota over the head and meowed: "Oi, 'Kota, you do that to every single cat you meet, don't you?" He nudged him playfully and meowed: "Dakota's the oldest, and he hates having fun."

Dakota let out a shout of laughter that immediately made Hollypaw feel right at home. It was a comforting, genuine kind of laugh that she heard Barley use all the time. "Seems to me like you have enough fun as it is," he meowed, smiling kindly.

Hollypaw felt simultaneously bewildered and pleased by the wide array of cats—they were warm and friendly enough, and she had always wanted to meet more cats than just her family and Barley.

"Just out of curiosity," Hollypaw meowed, taking her risk and hoping for the best, "is a gray cat part of your group? One with yellow eyes?" If the silver she-cat and Oliver had been here, why not the other cat she had seen?

"No," Oliver meowed, glancing at her curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," she meowed quickly; flushing under the curious stare that Dakota gave her. "By the way, what's _your_ name?" she meowed to the silver she-cat that she had been wondering about for so long.

The she-cat let out a sheepish smile. "Well, it's not that I don't trust you Hollypaw, because you seem like a really nice cat—but I don't like giving my name out to passing cats…just in case. But I like you…" she paused. "It's Huntress."

Oliver padded up to her and nudged her heartily, nearly knocking the she-cat off her paws. "We call her that because there is nothing, _nothing _on earth that can catch Huntress when she runs. Whether it be a monster, twoleg, or cat, she can outrun everything, and she can catch everything too." He made a face. "You wouldn't think that a pretty cat like her could be anything but useless, huh?" he teased.

Huntress let out a playful growl and cuffed _Oliver _over the head.

"Ouch!" he cringed.

Hollypaw smiled and felt a pang of longing when she looked at the Wanderers gathered around her. Each one of these cats would risk their lives for another, and they were such a close-knit group of friends that she couldn't help feeling slightly envious.

Quietly, she hedged: "I have no where else to stay for the night…do you think…maybe I could stay here?" She continued on quickly, afraid for a rejection. "Just for tonight, since I don't know where else to sleep—"

But Oliver quickly cut her off. "You kidding? Stay as long as you want, sweetheart. The thing is, we're the _Wanderers_, cat! We won't be staying in this place long."

"But," Dakota continued kindly, "you may stay here with us for as long as we are here…and if you wish it, you may follow us on our travels."

Hollypaw could hardly believe her ears.

"You mean it? Can I really stay here?" she meowed breathlessly, not even believing her ears.

"Cat, would he say it if he didn't mean it?" Oliver meowed warmly. "Stick with us and you'll be fine in this neighborhood. No one would mess with Oliver and the Wanderers!"

Hollypaw laughed with amusement. She liked Oliver because of his off-hand sense of humor and the cavalier way he spoke; it made her feel comfortable and welcome around him, even though the language he used was unfathomable at times. She knew that she would definitely become close friends with Piper; Dakota and Jewel were friendly enough as well. Tramp…she felt slightly uneasy around Tramp, probably because he had no morals or values, and she suspected that he lived life merely for the sake of it. She shrugged, telling herself to brush away those stray thoughts. Her mind cast around for a subject and finally landed on Huntress.

Huntress was definitely the most mysterious cat in the group, though she was not particularly aloof or unfriendly. She was just secretive, as if she didn't want to get really close to another cat. Hollypaw admired her bravery and her speed especially.

She smiled to herself.

_A wanderer, _she thought. _That's something I could definitely get used to._

_**End Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter to "These Hopeful Paths"! Hollypaw has indeed encountered the Wanderers, so let me know what you think of them. Reviews will be especially appreciated for this chapter, since it is the first, and I totally need a confidence booster when starting new stories :) See you at the second chapter!**_

_More to come…_


	3. Note from the Author

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I've recently decided to finish everything I start - especially my writings. I would like to ask you, my readers: are you still interested in my writing "These Hopeful Paths"? If so, please PM me, e-mail me, or leave me a comment in a review if you would me to continue. Note that if I do decide to continue, this will be the _last _thing on my mind - I am working on finishing two other fics first, as well as writing for a different category. Your opinions are important to me, so let me know! 

Happy Holidays!

- Catherine


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